Nightclub to open at Patriot Place, to bring in top-notch entertainment

Steve Adams

Wednesday

Apr 30, 2008 at 12:01 AM

National Amusements and the Kraft Group want to put Foxboro on the map as a top New England concert venue. In August, they will open a nightclub called Showcase Live at the 1.3-million-square-foot Patriots Place mall next to Gillette Stadium.

Few would have guessed that Uncasville, Conn., would become a regular destination for headline music acts before Mohegan Sun opened.

Now National Amusements and the Kraft Group want to put Foxboro on the map as a top New England concert venue. In August, they will open a nightclub called Showcase Live at the 1.3-million-square-foot Patriots Place mall next to Gillette Stadium.

The 16,000-square-foot facility also can function as a dinner theater, comedy club and exhibit hall.

Jonathan Kraft, the president and chief operating officer of the Kraft Group, said Showcase Live will give patrons the opportunity to watch top-flight music and comedy acts with suburban conveniences such as free parking.

“As somebody who spent much of his teen years and 20s downtown hitting the clubs around Boston watching live music, I can tell you, while the acts were all great, I never had a great experience in any of the facilities,” Kraft said. “There’s nothing even close to what Showcase Live is going to be.”

Acts such as jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, British pop quintet Squeeze and disco diva Chaka Khan have been booked for shows this fall, said Steven Bensusan, president of Blue Note Entertainment Group. Blue Note, which owns nightclubs including the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan, will handle bookings and promotions at Showcase Live.

Unlike the crowded warehouse feel of many urban nightclubs, Showcase Live will have more of a Las Vegas lounge atmosphere.

The capacity will range from 500 for dinner to 1,000 for concerts. Seating options will range from a 52-foot-long bar to banquettes next to the stage. Six high-definition screens will show simulcasts of performers on-stage.

Ticket prices have not been released, but National Amusements President Shari Redstone said the goal is to keep tickets affordable.

The open floor plan enables the facility to host everything from concerts to trade shows and business meetings. Patriots fans will be able to sign up for multi-year memberships to attend pre-game brunches on game days.

The nightclub will be next to National Amusements’ Cinema de Lux theater complex, which is also scheduled to open before the fall. The facilities are in the lifestyle center phase of Patriot Place that opens in the second half of the year. Although the first phase of the center that opened last fall was dominated by big-box retailers such as Bass Pro Shops, the lifestyle center will contain mainly specialty retailers and restaurants.

Steve Adams may be reached at sadams@ledger.com.

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